Auld Lang Syne
by Sparky75
Summary: A hopefully light-hearted short story set on NYE that loosely follows on from my previous ones. Happy New Year and all the best for 2015.


I didn't expect to be writing this story at all and then I thought it'd be 400/500 words long at the most. Having had the idea I probably got a little carried away; but in saying that, I hope you enjoy reading this and Happy New Year to everyone. 

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Ruth stirred as her phone started ring and she answered it with a yawn, sticking her hand out without noticing who was calling her at this godforsaken time. She'd been fast asleep for what seemed like hours and now she was being rudely pulled into wakefulness .

"Hello." she mumbled with a yawn.

"Sorry, have I woken you?"

She immediately recognised the deep voice at the other end of the line and gave an involuntary smile. It was nice to hear from him, even if he had woken her in the middle of the night. "It's fine Harry, honestly. What time is it?"

Harry laughed softly, "It's ten past twelve, and I really am sorry for waking you. I thought you'd still be up"

Ruth struggled up in bed and switched her light on, "Is that all, I thought I'd been asleep for hours." She yawned before asking, "and to what do I owe this unexpected surprise?" She suddenly groaned, "Everything is OK? I don't need to come in?" Visions of terrorists rampaging through the streets crossed her mind briefly, she'd been at work until 8 o'clock that evening and there hadn't been anything major flagged... not that that meant anything. Twenty five percent of the red-flash's she received were from something new coming up unexpectedly rather than any ongoing investigation.

Harry chuckled down the line. "Relax, it's nothing like that." Ruth suddenly realised she could hear the faint echo of Auld Lang Syne in the background of the call and things slotted into place. "I just wanted to wish you Happy New Year, that's all."

"Happy New Year to you too," Ruth answered him quietly. "How is the reception at Whitehall?" Harry along with Adam and Ros had been asked to attend the annual Government New Years Eve reception; though asked was probably a polite way of describing it. Given Harry had attended every one of these for the last 15 years, he'd looked very glum and slightly abashed when admitting this to her letting her know that he had very little chance of getting out of this one.

" Same as ever," Harry sighed, "The PM made his excuses and decided to stay at Chequers for New Year, while the Chancellor disappeared a couple of hours ago saying something about a childcare emergency at Number 11. The Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary are taking full advantage and seem to be in some form of testosterone fuelled stand-off as to who's the more influential in the Cabinet."

Ruth laughed at the tone of his voice, "stop exaggerating Harry, Belinda Johnson is a fine Foreign Secretary and a lovely lady to boot; plus Blake needs to be put in his place every so often." She smiled down the phone, "In fact I'm sure the person who told me that was you!"

"Yes, well she's certainly got bigger balls when it comes to some things than both Blake and the PM put together."

"How's Adam getting on?" This was the first New Year since Fiona's death and although he'd seemed to be coping well over Christmas, she knew that he and Fiona had often made a big deal over New Year, often going out while Wes spent time with Fiona's parents getting spoilt rotten in the aftermath of Christmas."

"He seems to be fine, he and Ros seem to be involved in some sort of..." Harry sighed, "I don't know what exactly, but they're both angry at the moment what with Fiona and the incident with Myers."

"There's nothing you can do Harry... for either of them." Ruth spoke slowly, they'd been through this at least twice before. "It'll take time for Adam to come fully to terms with Fiona's death," she paused slightly before continuing, "and it's the same for Ros; she knows deep down that there was nothing else you could have done for her father and he deserved to go to jail. I know that, you know that and most importantly she knows that. You're just a good verbal punch-bag when she needs it because she knows you'll not judge her for it, or use it against her."

"I know, I know." Harry rubbed his free hand over his forehead before squeezing his eyes softly. the party sounded like it was ramping up a notch next door with the traditional New Years song giving way to something slightly louder, "I just... oh I don't know." He smiled and spoke softly, "I just wish you were here." Ruth leaned back on her pillows as he continued, "I know why you're not and I fully understand you wanting us to keep things separate, at least for a while longer, but..." he went quiet before continuing, "I'd have just liked to have seen the New Year in with you, rather than being stuck with Jools Sivitar regaling me with all the internal politics at Six."

Ruth smiled, "well if it's any consolation, I wish I'd seen the New Year in with you as well," she smiled depreciatively at herself, "at least that way I might have stayed awake rather than snoring my way through it!"

"You don't snore," Harry chuckled. "the occasional bout of sleep talking, but no snoring."

Ruth laughed, he'd told her after the first night they'd spent together that he'd woken at some stage in the early hours and she'd been murmuring away to herself. Initially worried about what she'd been revealing in her unconscious state, she'd been relieved, and slightly embarrassed, when it turned out that her ramblings had been pretty innocuous and had consisted of what sounded like a shopping list and a discussion with Fidget over which cat food he preferred. "Yes well..." She heard a door open in the background and someone calling Harry's name and a faint conversation as Harry held his hand over the receiver. "Do you have to go?"

"Yes, that was Adam, apparently Blake has been looking for me; he's been trying to pin me down all evening. He wants me to make up a four on the golf course next Sunday."

Ruth let out a peal of laughter, "do you even play golf?"

"Very badly," Harry sighed, "Blasted game gets in the way of a good walk, besides which, I'd much rather spend what little time I do get off with you, going for an actual walk..."

"As long as there's a nice pub and a Sunday roast at the end of it." Ruth giggled.

"Well yes," Harry smiled, "a man can't live on love alone..." He winced as he realised what he'd said, he was still being very careful not to rush Ruth in any way, shape or form and this felt like he'd taken a completely unintended leap into the unknown "sorry, I didn't mean that exactly... well I did but..."

Ruth laughed, "I know the proverb Harry and I know what you were trying to say."

Harry smiled relieved that he hadn't managed to dig himself into too deep a hole. "Well, I really to have to go now so I'll let you get back to sleep while I go and face Blake."

"You do that," Ruth said softly, "and enjoy the rest of the night..."

"Goodnight Ruth, sweet dreams and preferably nicer one's than your weekly trip around Sainsbury's."

"Before you go Harry," Ruth bit her bottom lip, she'd been wrestling over asking him this since he'd called and his last comment had made the decision for her.

"Yes."

"Do you remember that conversation we had the other morning about my security system at home?"

"Lack of security system you mean!" Harry huffed, he'd been amazed and appalled when Ruth had shown him her locks, and had told her that a half decent burglar would be able to get into her house in under two minutes.

"Yes, well." Ruth smiled self-consciously to herself, she wasn't sure how this suggestion was going to go down with Harry who had gone remarkably red in the face when she'd told him she was happy with her current system and didn't need him to go and have a chat with Malcolm about turning her house into the second Fort Knox. "I was thinking, after you've finished there tonight, you could come and over and see if it was possible..."

"What was possible?"

"Breaking into my house in under two minutes." Now she'd started she really wished she'd kept her mouth shut.

"You want me to break into your house tonight?" Harry said incredulously.

"Yes... or no." Ruth winced, "I just thought it'd be nice to see you and at least spend a little of New Year together even if we are just sleeping."

Harry smiled, the night was looking up. "It would be very nice Ruth, very nice indeed." He grinned as he realised how he could make a point with her. "However if I'm coming over and 'breaking' into your house then I want a promise from you."

"What's that."

"If I manage to break into your house within two minutes without breaking anything or waking you when you're asleep then you get new security, okay?"

"Fine," Ruth sighed, "and if you can't?"

"And if I can't and have to knock for you to let me in, then I promise I'll never mention it again. I'll bring you breakfast in bed either way." He turned around as once more Adam came in beckoning him to join the main party. "Look I really have to go now, Adam's chasing me again."

Ruth smiled as she leaned over to switch her light back off and curled back down into the warmth of the duvet. "Okay then, I'll see you soon. Goodnight Harry"

"Goodnight Ruth, I should be there in the next hour or two."

"Okay, try not to wake me when you come to bed..." Ruth hung up with a smile on her face as she put her phone back on her bedside table.

Harry stood looking at the phone as the line went dead, he had a feeling that somehow he'd been played all along and this gave Ruth the 'out' she'd wanted so she could both win the argument, in a manner of speaking, and get a better security system without backing down. He smiled, now he just had to make sure his lock breaking skills were still up to scratch but it was worth it either way.

"You're looking remarkably chipper for someone the Home Sec is trying to track down," Adam said with a smile passing him a glass of champagne.

Harry smiled enigmatically as he turned to walk back into the reception. "_Hope Smiles from the threshold of the year to come..._"

The End...

Harry's quote at the end is by Alfred Tennyson


End file.
